Why Do I Care For You?
by SonicGirl4Ever
Summary: When Sonic gets sick and is about to be run over, Shadow saves him and takes him to G.U.N. Things get freaky when a group of strange men want to test a special serum on the blue blur. How will things go down when Shadow has a strange urge to protect his blue counterpart? And just what do these men intend to do?
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold, cloudy afternoon in Westopolis. Cars beeped as they passed by, a few pedestrians walked around here and there, and a tall building with the letters "G.U.N" stood proudly near the outskirts of the city.

Among the many people moving about on the sidewalks was a certain black hedgehog. He had just gotten back from a mission, and was heading off to find a place where he could be alone.

As he walked through the streets, he saw a certain blue hedgehog up ahead. For some reason, Shadow stopped and looked at him.

Usually, Sonic would be running around looking for trouble. But today, he wasn't doing anything close to that.

Shadow couldn't figure out what it was, but there was something...off about him.

Letting a rare feeling a curiosity get the best of him, Shadow caught up to Sonic.

Sonic noticed him and waved. "Hey, Shads."

Shadow nodded in response. "Hello, Faker."

The blue hedgeohg rolled his eyes playfully and continued walking. But as he did, he stumbled a bit.

Shadow noticed this and went over to Sonic. "Hey... Are you feeling alright?"

Sonic looked at him for a second, then laughed a little. "Of course I am! wow, I didn't know you were such a worry-hog!"

Shadow tensed at that remark, but decided to play it cool.

"Well, I'm off. Got stuff to do and things to see!" Sonic said. Then he walked off.

Shadow didn't know why, but he had the urge to follow Sonic.

Meanwhile, Sonic was not feeling well. It had only been a few seconds before he had started to cough a little. The more he walked, the worse he felt.

'Man... Maybe Shadow was right...'

Feeling disoriented and sick, Sonic unknowingly walked right out onto the street. A 10-wheeler was coming down the road at a fast pace. The driver was busy with something, and didn't even notice Sonic.

The blue hedgehog collapsed to his knees and held his head. Everything was spinning, and he was sweating all over.

As the large truck came rolling down the street, Sonic fell to the ground and tried to get back up again.

Luckily, Shadow had been watching this and jumped into action. He ran out into the street and grabbed Sonic just as the truck passed by.

The truck driver stopped with a screech and got out of the truck, causing a scene. He yelled cuss words and questioned if Shadow was crazy loudly.

Shadow ignored the angry man and ran off with Sonic in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Sonic felt his mind slowly return back into conciousness. He felt something soft and comfortable beneath his aching body. He felt something cold and wet on his forehead. All he could hear was his own breathing, and all he could see was darkness.

He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Everything was a little blurry, but his eyes were able to focus and he could see clearly after a few seconds.  
He took a moment to look around the room. He was in a white bed in a bland white room with a plant and trash can in the corner. There were two hanging lights up above on the ceiling, and there was a single door to his right.

_'Where am I?' _He asked himself.

He heard something move near the right corner of the room. He looked over to see Shadow, leaning on the wall and crossing his arms. He stared at him with his crimsom eyes, but he didn't say anything.  
As if he could read Sonic's mind, he said, "You're in the recovery room of G.U.N."

Sonic perked up at this. "...G.U.N?... Why?"

Shadow nodded. "It was the only place close enough where I could get help."

The blue hedehog cocked his head at that. "You brought me here?"

Shadow nodded and walked to the door. "I'll be right back. Stay here."

Sonic watched him go and took the chance to check himself.  
He looked at his arms for any injuries and found nothing. Then he felt his forehead and found something wet and cold. He took it off and found that it was a small towel soaked in cold water.  
He was about to try to get up when Shadow walked into the room again carrying a cup of water.

"Here." He gave the cup to Sonic, who took it and began to drink.

"Don't drink too fast." Shadow said.

Sonic stopped and looked at him curiously. He nodded and drank it slowly.

Suddenly, a G.U.N agent walked by the room and noticed who was inside. But it wasn't just any agent. It was Rouge the Bat.  
She smiled and walked into the room. "Well, well... Look who's here."

Shadow stared at her as she slowly walked over to the foot of Sonic's bed.  
"I'm guessing Shadow here is taking care of you?"

Sonic gave her half a smile, as he wasn't feeling too good.

Rouge looked over to Shadow, then back at Sonic. "You know... I haven't ever seen Shadow be so compassionate to anyone like this, other than Omega... and-"

Sonic interrupted her. "Uh, try _not _to say that name."

Rouge looked at Sonic, then back to Shadow. "...Whatever."  
She then walked to the door, and gave one last glance at them.  
"See ya."  
Then she walked out and was gone.

Meanwhile, in another room in the depths of the base, a secret conference was being held. A group of 5 men in white lab coats were giving a presentation on a mysterious new "medicine" they created.  
Five G.U.N soldiers, along with the Commander, were watching a presentation intently.  
Finally, the leader spoke up.

"Anyway, we are will to give you this serum... But you must sign a contract first."

The Commander thought for a second. _'These people... they seem mysterious... There might be a catch to all this...'  
_"Before I answer... Is there a 'catch'?"

The leader smiled. "Mm, very wise of you to ask that. Yes, there is a fine. _And _I'll need a live specimen to test it on."

Some of the G.U.N soldiers shuddered at this.  
The Commander seemed shocked. "Are you mad? You want to use one of my soldiers?"

The leader shook his head and chuckled. "No, not a human... I was thinking more in the lines of a... Mobian. Preferablly a blue hedgehog."

The Commander instantly recognized who he was talking about and sternly looked at him. "No."

The leader frowned and looked down at him. "...No?"

The Commander stood up, to which the other four soldiers followed.  
"No. I won't let world-wide hero be treated like a test subject."

The man in the white lab coat walked forward a little. "But he's just a _hedgehog!_I- I'll even give you a Chaos Emerald if you say yes!"

The Commander began to walk out of the room. "I told you I'm not interested. This conference is over. _Leave._" Then he and the other soldiers walked out of the room, leaving the man furious.

He was about to go after him when he was interrupted by a smooth, female voice.

"Hey there. _I _know where that blue hedgehog is. I'll get him for you... _if _we make a deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow was going through a green desk, obviously looking for something.  
"Hey Shads? What are you looking for?" Sonic asked curiously.

Shadow didn't stop what he was doing; he didn't even look at the pondering hedgehog.  
"A thermometer... Hmph, found it."  
He walked over to Sonic and pressed a small button on the device. It beeped twice, signaling that it was on.

He placed it in Sonic's ear and waited a few seconds. The device beeped, and Shadow pulled it out. It read 102 degrees.  
"... You have a fever."

Sonic was about to respond when the black hedgehog placed a wet towel on Sonic's forehead again. "Don't take that off. I'll be right back."

He turned to the door and stopped, as they both heard the clicking of heels coming down the hallway. Moments later, Rouge walked in.  
"Hey boys. Sorry to intrude."

Shadow looked at her blankly. "...I don't have time for this."  
Rouge rolled her eyes and followed him. "Fine, fine, Mr. Grouchy... Anyway, the Commander wants to speak with you."

Shadow turned to her. "For what?"  
Rouge shrugged. "Don't ask me."

Shadow thought a moment.  
"... Wouldn't he have contacted me via wristwatch?"

Rouge motioned towards Sonic. "Did you already forget that we have a _visitor_ here?"  
Shadow crossed his arms confidently. "He's an ally to G.U.N and he isn't a threat."

Rouge got a little closer to Shadow and half-whispered into his ear.  
"I know that, but you can't exactly _trust _G.U.N. Even _I _don't trust them entirely."

Knowing that her explanation was logical, he sighed and walked out the door. "...Tell him I'm on my way... And get him something for his fever." He pointed to Sonic as he said this.

Rouge put her hands on her hips. "Will do."

Shadow walked out the door and down the hall.

Rouge listened for Shadow as he left. Using her senstive ears, she could easily tell when he was downstairs.  
She took out a hypodermic syringe from a hidden pocket in her shoe and walked over to Sonic.  
"This is for your fever. Hold still. This might pinch a little."

Sonic looked away and felt the needle enter his skin. He cringed a little, and he flinched when the needle was taken out. Then he realized something.  
_'Wait... Where did she get that needle? How did she know?' _

The blue hedgehog was about to question her when she said something very odd.  
"Nighty-night, blue boy."

Sonic looked at her strangely, but then he began to feel his eyes closing. "Wha...?"  
_'What the heck did she give me?'_

He heard the clicking of shoes get fainter as she walked out of the room. Then he blacked out.

A few meters down the hall, a group of men in white lab coats were waiting anxiously.  
Rouge walked over to them and nodded.  
"It's done. Now... my emerald." She held out her hand and waited for the emerald.

The leader of the men crossed his arms.  
"Not until I can be _sure _that hedgehog is mine."  
He turned to the 4 other men.  
"Go."

The men nodded and quietly went over to Sonic's room, carrying an animal carrier. They peeked in, and went inside.  
After a few moments, they came back out with the carrier, this time with something inside.

"Is he asleep?" the leader asked.  
One man nodded.  
"Yes, Dr. Narasu."

Rouge perked up at hearing that name.  
"Dr. Narasu?... Where have I heard that name before?"

The doctor, now known as Dr. Narasu, took out a Chaos Emerald from his pocket.  
"Forget it. Here. Take it. And don't tell _anyone _about this."

Rouge smiled and took the emerald away.  
"... Nice doing business with ya."

The men nodded and quickly left the building with Sonic in hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Rouge heard the sound of a very annoyed hedgehog coming up the stairs. When he got to the top, he stopped and looked at her angrily.

"The Commander claims that I don't have a mission tonight. Why did you lie to me?"

Rouge looked at him in anger.  
"Hey, I know that you can't really trust me all the time, but give me a reason why I would lie about a mission."

Shadow crossed his arms.  
_'She has a point... but there's got to be a reason...'_

Finally, Shadow growled.  
"Hmph. Fine. I'll let you off this time. But I'm watching you."

Rouge smiled and turned around.  
"That's what I thought... See ya later."

Shadow secretly watched her leave. Then he saw something very strange...  
_'There's something glowing in her glove... Could it be-?'_

A second later, Shadow tackled Rouge to the ground and ripped her glove off.

Rouge yelled angrily, failing to realize why Shadow had done that.  
"Hey, watch it!"

Shadow took the glove by finger tips and shook it a little. A gem fell out and into Shadow's waiting hand.

Rouge gasped, remembering the jewel. She pouted and crossed her arms.  
"Uh! You sneaky little jerk! That's _my _emerald!"

Shadow held onto the gem tightly.  
"Why don't you try telling that to the Commander?"

Rouge froze in shock.  
"Wha? You're not going to-?"

Shadow turned around. He was about to Chaos Control away when he noticed something.  
He was standing right next to Sonic's room.  
_'Crap... I forgot his fever...'_

He walked into the room and almost dropped the emerald when he saw that the bed was empty.  
_'Wha? Where-Where did he go?'_

Then he rememberd the emerald in his hand.  
It all made sense to him...  
_'Rouge... She must've-'_

In a fit of confusion and rage, Shadow screamed and yelled,  
"Chaos Control!"

He was instantly transported in front of Rouge, who was halfway down the hallway.  
She had known that Shadow would find out, but it was too late to get away.  
"Shadow! What are you-"

The furious hedgehog stepped forward menacingly.  
"Where is he?"

Rouge took a step back. There was no one around to see what would happen next. She was all alone.  
"What are you talking about?"

Shadow raised the emerald and let his grip tighten a little more.  
"You KNOW what I mean! I'll crush you AND the emrald with my bare hands if you don't answer me!"

Rouge gasped in horror.  
"Not the emerald!- Fine! I- I made a deal with some freaky scientist!"

Shadow started to calm down a little.  
_'That's right... The Commander _did _say that he had a visitor today...'  
_"What else? What about Sonic?"

Rouge sighed and explained, as her gaze kept switching from Shadow to the emerald in his hand.  
"He wanted to test some serum on Sonic, but the Commander disapproved... So he offered him a Chaos Emerald, and I took the offer secretly... And now Sonic is with that scientist..."

Shadow still held onto the emerald tightly, threatning to crush it at any moment.  
"What's his name?"

Rouge rolled her eyes.  
"I can't remember where I heard it, but it sounds familiar. His name was Dr. Narasu."

Shadow instantly remembered that name.  
_'Dr. Narasu... That's the famed scientist who said that Sonic couldn't exist! From what I heard, his whole business was shut down a year ago... Could this really just be a big plan for... revenge?... If so, then Sonic is in danger...'_

Shadow started to get angry again at the thought of Sonic's fate.  
"You... you traded Sonic for a pathetic gem?"

Rouge crossed her arms.  
"It's _not _a pathetic gem! It's a Chaos Emerald!"

Shadow crushed the emerald with his bare hands, to which Rouge gasped in horror.  
"My emerald!"

Shadow threw the remaining jewel dust onto the floor.  
"It's a fake, you phony! Now because of you, Sonic's life is in danger!"

Shadow stormed away, hitting the walls and leaving dents in the metal.

Rouge stared after him, dumbfounded.

As Shadow stormed down the hallway, he began to think of a plan.  
_'I need to get as much info as I can about this "Dr. Narasu"... The Commander should know something about him... _And _where I can find that phsyco...'_


	5. Chapter 5

A lone white van pulled up to an empty parking lot. A large, grey building with hundreds of windows was in front of the parking lot.  
Scattered papers, broken glass, and other debree littered the sidewalks around the abandoned building.  
The back door of the van opened, and two men stepped out of the car.  
One looked around to see if anyone was about, and the other was carrying the animal carrier.  
Finally, the driver and Dr. Narasu stepped out of the car.

The scientist turned to his fellow henchmen.  
"Alright. If the coast is clear... follow me."

He walked into the building, with the others close behind.  
The 5 men walked down numerous dark hallways littered with trash and broken glass, until they came to a dead end.

"Sir... Where are you going?"  
One of the men asked.

Dr. Narasu placed his hand on the wall, and the spot he touched lit up.  
The other men gasped in surprise.

"Gentlemen, I have only shown this room to one other person. Prepare to see something that is _truly _pristine."

The men watched anxiously as the wall slid open to the right, and a metal door was revealed. It was so clean, it was as if human hands had never touched it.  
It had a small green padlock to the left, so Dr. Narasu had to type in a 10-digit number.  
The door opened with a _hiss_, and Dr. Narasu and the others walked in.

It was a large, enclosed room, with no windows or any other doors besides the one they came through.  
It was tiled with a greyish color, and there were many tables along the sides of the walls that held operating utensils, syringes, test tubes, fizzy liquids, and other equipment.  
Behind all the fully stocked tables were giant test tube-like containers filled with different colored chemicals.  
There was a lone metal table right in the center of the room, with leather straps on the corners.

"Welcome... to my secret lab."  
Dr. Narasu said.  
"Like I mentioned, only one other person has seen this lab. Not even the staff that worked here knew about this room."

The men were looking around in amazement at the vast majority of tools and chemicals.

"Where's the hedgehog?"  
The scientist questioned.

One of the men held up the cage.  
"He's here, sir."

Dr. Narasu pointed to the metal table.  
"Strap him in."

The men began to do so, and as they did, Dr. Narasu walked over to his equipment.  
_'It's time to end that blue hedgehog's life!'_


	6. Chapter 6

Shadow made his way down another hallway, and then the next. He turned corners and passed by a few other agents who were walking about, doing their own priorities and jobs.  
Finally, he got to a large double-doored room. Two soldiers were standing guard outside.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, you are not authorized to go beyond this point without permission."

Shadow crossed his arms.  
"It's very important. And it's about our _visitor_."

The two G.U.N agents exchanged glances.  
"Visitor? The only person we've heard of is Dr. Narasu. Is this about him?"

The other agent looked at Shadow curiously.  
"Yeah, he was escorted out of the building hours ago."

Shadow shook his head.  
"This isn't about that crazy scientist. It's about Sonic. I brought him in because he was severly sick. And now that phsyco kidnapped him."

All of a sudden, the door behind the two soldiers opened.  
"Agent Shadow. I thought I heard the mention of your name."

the two G.U.N agents looked at their leader in surprise.  
"Sir! Shadow claims that Sonic the Hedgehog is in the building."

The Commander crossed his arms.  
"Affirmative. Shadow brought him in a few hours ago. A little after Dr. Narasu showed up."

Shadow lowered his eyelids a little.  
"Correction. He was just kidnapped by those goons."

The Commander's eyes widened in shock.  
"What?- Come inside. We need to discuss this."  
He opened the door wider and Shadow walked in.

The Commander sat back down in his chair and Shadow stood in front of his desk.  
"What's the story so far?"

Shadow explained the story.  
"Rouge made a deal with Dr. Narasu sometime after you had a meeting with him. It was Sonic for a Chaos Emerald. I caught her and forced her to tell me everything she knew."

The Commander folded his hands in front of him.  
"What of the emerald?"

Shadow crossed his arms.  
"A fake. I crushed it."

The Commander looked at him curiously.  
"Do you have a plan of action?"

Shadow nodded.  
"Affirmative. I need you to bring up anything you know about Dr. Narasu."

The Commander pushed a small red button on his desk, and a holographic computer screen appeared in front of him.

He typed in 'Dr. Narasu' and a picture of him popped up on the screen, as well as a complete history and detailed information on him.  
This couldn't be found on the Internet at anyone's house; this was classified information, and it was extremely detailed.

The Commander scrolled down and read some information out loud.  
"Hm... Dr. Kai Narasu... A famed animal scientist and vetanarian... Claimed that Sonic the Hedgehog and other related beings could not exist due to impossible body structure and metabolism... Was shut down after his theories were proven wrong on public television... Lost his job, and-"

He was interruped by Shadow.  
"There's a link at the bottom right corner of the page. It seems important."

The Commander looked at it and frowned.  
"It's classified. I'm not supposed to show you this..."

Shadow crossed his arms.  
"We _need _to access that information if we're going to rescue Sonic."

The Commander thought for a second, then clicked on the link.  
A sign popped up saying that it was classified and that it needed an activation code to be accessed.

The Commander typed in a 4-digit number, and a strange diary entry popped up.  
"This is an entry that we extracted straight from Dr. Narasu's computer."

Shadow listened as the Commander read aloud the info.

_"Finally, I've created the perfect serum to get rid of that blue freak forever. Ever since that hedgehog arrived here, I had been shunned, and seen as a complete failure! But now that I've got this, I can easily kill him and show the world what I've created! I'll finally get my revenge! Now all I need to do is find him... When I get my hands on that blue freak, it'll be game over!"_

Shadow had been listening, and all the while, he had been thinking in shock and horror.  
_'That damn phsyco wants to _kill _him! I've gotta save him, and fast!... I hope it's not too late...'_

He jumped into action.  
"Where's his current location?"

The Commander pulled up another file, but this one was locked, too.  
He quickly typed in another 4-digit code, but when he did, another sign popped up.  
It read 'File Deleted'.

"Damn! The scientist erased the data from the computer somehow! I can't bring it up without searching through the hard drive. But that would take days..."

Shadow thought a moment...  
"There's another way."

The Commander looked at him curiously.  
"What? How?"

Shadow took out another Chaos Emerald.  
"Sonic has been absorbing Chaos Energy for years. All that energy must have been contained somewhere. Because of that, he's literally a walking, talking Chaos Emerald. If an emerald reacts when another is nearby... Wouldn't it react to Sonic?"

The Commander thought about it for a second, also.  
"That would be correct!... You should get going. There's no time to lose!"

Shadow nodded. Then he stood back and raised the emerald above his head.  
"Chaos Control!"  
He disspeared, and reappeared outside of the builiding.

_'I'm coming, Sonic. Hold on...'_


	7. Chapter 7

**Credit goes to Shaunatheboss for a few lines later on in this chapter. ;)  
**  
As Shadow ran through Westopolis looking for a signal, thousands of questions swirled in his head.

_'Where is he? What are they doing to him? What have they done? Is it too late? Will I be able to save him? Is it my fault for leaving him? How's his fever? Is he still sick?'_

Shadow's wristwatch emitted a loud beep. It was the Commander.  
"Shadow, I managed to find a little information on where Dr. Narasu could be hiding."

Shadow spoke into his watch as he skated through the city.  
"Where?"

"From your current location, it seems that you would have to turn around and go to the east..."

Shadow felt slight anger rising in his chest.  
_'Damn! I'll have to turn around!'  
_He made a sharp U-turn and ran towards the east.

Meanwhile...

"Dr. Narasu, Sonic is starting to come to."  
One of the men in a white lab coat said.

The scientist turned around and faced the other.  
"Very well. Anything unusual I should know about?"

The other man crossed his arms and thought a little.  
"Well, his temperature is abnormally high. We suspect he's suffering from a sickness of some sort..."

Dr. Narasu waved it off.  
"Who cares. Now, I have to-"  
He was interrupted by the same man asking a question.

"Sir, we would also like to ask for permission of taking this moment to do a few experiments on him."

The scientist seemed to be thinking about this.  
"Experiments?"

The other nodded excitedly.  
"Correct. We have been yearning to find out more about his species."

After a moment of breif thinking, Dr. Narasu uncrossed his arms and turned back around to what he was doing.  
"Fine. Do whatever you like with him. But _don't _kill him. Understood?"

The man nodded and turned away.  
"Understood."

As the other scientists began to fill syringes and test tubes, Sonic became more and more aware that he wasn't in G.U.N anymore.  
"Uhn... Wh... Where...?"

The men gathered around the table and put latex gloves on.  
"Test One." A scientist said.

"Who... Who are you- Erk!"

A large syringe was injected into Sonic's shoulder. As he pushed the contents of the syringe into Sonic's bloodstream, the hedgehog began to squirm in pain.

"Gah... That... _hurts!_"

The scientist pulled out the syringe, causing Sonic to flinch. Then they all stood back and waited to see a reaction.  
Finally, one of the men stated the results.  
"... No reaction. Test One failed. Preparing for Test Two."

A different man walked over and raised a scapel above Sonic's lower leg.  
A second scientist followed suit carrying a test tube filled with a pink liquid.  
"Test Three."

"Grr... Don't touch me!"

The men ignored that comment and the man carrying the scapel made a deep cut in Sonic's leg.

"AAAH!"  
The blue hedgehog struggled against the leather restraints, desperately trying to get free.

The second scientist poured the contents of the test tube into the open wound, causing Sonic to have a terrible reaction.  
"GRAH!... My...It burns! OW!"

The scientist took notes eagerly, examining the results of the experiment.  
"Test Two reaction: Burning sensation throughout body. Preparing for Test-"

They were interrupted by Dr. Narasu, who was pushing his way past the other scientist.  
"Out of my way. Now, it's my turn."

Sonic glared at the scientist as he gritted his teeth and cringed in pain...

Meanwhile...

All of a sudden, the emerald in Shadow's hand began glowing.  
_'A signal!'_

Shadow raced through the streets, following the signal as the emerald's light grew brighter.  
He stopped near a large grey building with broken windows and graffiti on the walls...

"This is it. I'm coming, Sonic..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Credit goes to LovesAnimations1998 for an idea incorporated into this chapter!**

Shadow walked up to the entrance of the building, still holding the Chaos Emerald that was glowing brightly.  
He knew that Sonic was in there with those scientists, and that he wasn't safe until he had found his blue counterpart.

'This is it. No turning back now until I've got Sonic...'  
He clenched his other fist tightly.  
'If they've hurt him... They'll pay.'

He walked torwards the door and raised both hands.  
"Chaos Spear!"

The door was hit brutally by the oncoming spears, causing the door to blow up.  
BANG!

As Shadow walked into the building through the destroyed entrance, he carefully avoided some of the steaming hot remains of the the metal door.

Once inside, he took a look around.

It was very dark, with only a little light shining from the entrance and the flickering lights on the ceiling.

There were numerous dark corridors that led to unknown areas within the building. There's was paper and broken glass littering the ground, and it was almost quiet- except for an eerie sound that seemed to come from all around.

After a second of taking in his dark surroundings, Shadow zoomed off, glancing at his Chaos Emerald every so often to see where Sonic could be.

Finally, it led him to a dead end. There wasn't a door, an airvent, or a window in the small area. It was just a plain metalic wall, like the rest of the abandoned facility.

'The emerald's signal leads to a dead end... Why?'

Shadow then thought of something. It was a crazy idea, and he would look like a fool if it failed. But maybe...

"Chaos Blast!"

BOOM!

There was a large red explosion, and after the smoke cleared, the black hedgehog took a look.  
Yes! There was a hidden door here!

With a smirk, Shadow pushed any remaining debree aside and kicked the door down with some effort, as it was a metal door that was extremely secure.

Finally, Shadow got in and saw another smaller door a few meters away down a small hallway.  
This door was much more "normal", and had a small window on the left side.

Shadow quietly walked up to the door and peeked inside through the window.  
There were a few scientists surrounding something in the middle of the room.

'Sonic, that had better not be you...'

Shadow busted down the door, causing all the scientists to look up in surprise and shock at the black hedgehog.

Shadow walked torwards them slowly... menacingly. Anyone could see the anger burning in his red eyes as he moved torwards them.

"Where's the hedgehog, you freaks?"

As the scientists stared at Shadow and each other debating on what to do, Dr. Narasu walked forward out of the group.  
"You're too late, you fool! The deed is already done..."

Shadow clenched his fist.  
"Shut your mouth, and tell me where he is, damn it!"

Dr. Narasu moved aside, and the other scientists did, too.  
"See for yourself."

As they moved aside, Shadow saw a terrible sight.

Sonic was on the metalic table, strapped down and shivering uncontrollably. Sweat was drenching Sonic's fur and skin, and his eyes were shut closed. Tears were falling out of his eyes and onto his cheeks, and he was desperately gasping for air. He was struggling and thrashing about, trying to get free.

Shadow's eyes widened and he raced over, pushing the scientists away.  
"SONIC!"  
He ripped off the straps and held Sonic close to him.

One scientist pointed at Shadow and Sonic.  
"Sir, he's setting Sonic free!"

Dr. Narasu laughed evily and crossed his arms.  
"Don't worry. That pathetic thing is in no condition to go anywhere."

As Sonic grabbed onto Sonic tightly, shivering and gasping for air, Shadow gritted his teeth and looked up at them threatningly.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?"

The scientists, even Dr. Narasu, were taken aback by the black hedgehog's sudden outburst. However, the mastermind behind the serum regained his composure and laughed once more.

"Just a little something that's sure to get that annoying blue pest out of my life. He took everything from me! My job, my friends, my recognition... everything! All because he became a world hero and got into my life! Grah!"

Shadow looked back down torwards Sonic, who had become extremely quiet and limp.

Sonic was limp in Shadow's arms, staring at nothing through half-closed eyelids. He was still alive, but he was slowly and painfully dying.

'He's dying...'

Then, in a fit of pure hatred and rage, Shadow began to glow red.

"Sir... What's happen-"  
The scientist was interruped by a loud yell coming from Shadow.

"GRAAAAAAH! CHAOS BLAST!"

There was a HUGE explosion, and everyone went flying back into the walls or into the many tables that lined the walls.

As the smoke cleared, Shadow walked furiously up to Dr. Narasu, who was coughing and stuggling to stand.

He grabbed him by the colar and shook him a few times.  
"I'm only going to ask you once. Where. Is. The. Antidote?"

Dr. Naraus coughed again and stared at Shadow angrily.  
"I'll never tell you. Not until he's DEAD!"

Shadow punched Dr. Narasu square in the jaw, causing the doctor to lose a tooth.  
"Where is it?"

The doctor pointed to a cabinet behind him.  
"...There."

Shadow dragged the doctor against the floor, taking him to the cabinet.  
He opened it and found a test tube containing a strange green liquid.

He grabbed it and took it over to Sonic, who was barely alive.  
He lifted Sonic's body up half-way, and poured the liquid down Sonic's throat.  
Then he gently laid Sonic's body down, while cradling the blue hedgehog's head in his lap.

Sonic closed his eyes, and went completely limp.  
Shadow shook him.  
"Sonic... Sonic?... Sonic, wake UP!"

Sonic didn't move.

Shadow leaned down and listened for a heartbeat.  
There was nothing.

"No... NO!"

In a desperate need to prove his ears wrong, he got up raised the Chaos Emerald.  
"Chaos Control!"

He warped off and in an instant, he appeared in the ER of G.U.N.  
Shouts and screams could be heard as Shadow appeared.

"I don't care what you do, but SAVE HIM!"

The mutiple doctors nodded, and asked him the fatal question: How did this happen?

Shadow looked at them determined.  
"A serum... they gave him a deadly serum... I gave him the antidote... but nothing happened."

The doctors looked at each other and nodded.  
"If the antidote didn't work... Then there's nothing we can do... I'm sorry."

Shadow looked at them furiously.  
"No... There's GOT to be something you can do... There HAS TO BE!"

The doctors shook their heads and a few began to cry.  
"I'm sorry..."

Shadow hugged Sonic close, and whispered a few words to the hedgehog's limp body.  
"I'm so sorry... I was too late..."

A tear escaped his eye and landed on the floor at Shadow's feet.

And as the doctors and nurses stared in shock and sadness at the scene in front of them...

A miracle occured.


	9. Chapter 9

Sonic's ear twitched. Shadow noticed almost immediately and couldn't believe his eyes as Sonic began to open his own emerald eyes.

"Sonic?"

The doctors and nurses quickly took action as Sonic began coughing and holding his chest painfully. They took him out of Shadow's arms and placed him on a hospital bed.

"What are you doing?" Shadow yelled, his voice full of confusion.

One of the nurses walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Please calm down... We're just doing our job."

Shadow watched helplessly as he saw them roll Sonic into another room, which he was not allowed into.

Later...

Shadow was in the Commander's office once again, talking to him about the serum and the antidote.

The Commander listened closely to the black hedgehog's story, and asked him a few questions after he had finished.  
"I see... So you obtained the antidote?"

Shadow nodded.  
"Correct."

The man crossed his arms and thought a minute.  
_'Although it is primarily used to cure the effects that drug had on Sonic, it could possibly become a base for another antidote... I'll need the type of chemical that's used in it, though... I wonder if...'_

He suddenly looked up at Shadow.  
"Do you still have the container the antidote was kept in?"

Shadow nodded.  
"Affirmative."  
He revealed the container and gave it to the Commander.

After a few seconds of studying the label, he looked at Shadow once more and nodded curtly.  
"You have my thanks."

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

A doctor walked in and looked at Shadow.  
"We just got back the readings from the computer. He's stable. You can talk to him if you like."

Shadow looked over at the Commander, who nodded. The black hedgehog followed the doctor to Sonic's recovery room.  
"Be gentle; he's quite sick and very weak."

Shadow nodded and walked in.  
"...Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog's eyes parted very slightly. His eyes were dull and showed obvious signs of sickness.  
"Hey Sha- Cough! Cough!"

Shadow rested a hand on Sonic's chest.  
"Take it easy... You're still recovering from that drug they forced into you... Those bastards..."  
(A/N: Sorry for the rough language! Just trying to get that 'Shadow' character.)

Sonic tried to sit up a little.  
"...Thanks for save- Cough! Cough-Cough!"

Shadow gently pushed him back down.  
"Relax."

Sonic laid back and closed his eyes for a second. But when he opened them again, Shadow was looking away.  
He was obviously upset, as he was crossing his arms and turned away.

Sonic didn't like seeing his friend like this.  
"Shads... It's not your fault…"

Shadow turned around and looked at him angrily.  
"No! It's _my _fault that you're in here. If I had gotten to you in time, this wouldn't have happened…"  
The black hedgehog cringed, knowing that he shouldn't have yelled like that.

"...I'll be OK…"

Shadow opened his eyes and looked at Sonic surprised.  
The blue hedgehog smiled at Shadow, then winked.

"I should leave you alone to rest…"

Sonic nodded and watched Shadow leave.  
But before he did, he called over to Shadow.

"Hey Shadow..."

The black hedgehog looked over at Sonic.  
"What?"

"...Thanks."

Shadow nodded and left the room, leaving Sonic smiling as he fell asleep.

The End.


End file.
